Stories of the Empire
by 99emanresu
Summary: This is a story with multiple character POVs that likely won't interact frequently, if at all. Think of it like a jumble of stories that continue over multiple chapters.
1. Chapter 1: Prologue

After millennia of effort, the Sith have won.

Darth Sidious successfully manipulated the Jedi, the Public, and the Senate to an end where he could declare a new Galactic Empire, with himself at its centre.

To the common people of the galaxy, the Supreme Chancellor narrowly survived an assassination attempt by the power-hungry Jedi. To ensure security and stability, the Galactic Republic was reformed into the Galactic Empire. The Jedi are all but extinct.

The Separatists' droid armies have been shut down, ending the Clone War. The Hero With No Fear, Anakin Skywalker, the only Jedi loyal to the Chancellor, has perished.

"We have been tested, but we have emerged stronger. We moved forward as one people - the Imperial citizens of the first Galactic Empire. We will prevail. Ten thousand years of peace begins today."

As these words rang throughout the Senate Hall on Coruscant, the entire galaxy held its breath, and waited. Waited for what would come next. As the Emperor said, this was a new era. For some, it was an era of hope, of law, and order. For others, it was an era of oppression, fear, and servitude, where survival meant slavery or exile.

The Empire will rule for over 20 years. The Sith now control the galaxy.


	2. Chapter 2: Ora Selanne

Character Theme: The Imperial Suite by Michael Giacchino for Rogue One.

Ora was extremely excited. Today, she would be joining the Stormtrooper Corps. Since she was a little girl, she'd been dreaming about this moment. Ora had been accepted into the Imperial Army several years prior, as soon as she became of age, and now, finally, she was here.

The Stormtrooper Corps had extremely high standards, not just anyone could get in. Loyalty, intelligence, and physical capabilities all had to be exceptional in every troop wearing the white armour. The standards weren't different for women either, they had to achieve the same physical capabilities as their male counterparts.

But finally, after 5 years of service, she was a stormtrooper. Ora Selanne would wear the plastoid plating, and join her comrades in service to the Empire. Comrades she would be meeting today, in her new post on the planet of Jainen.

As her shuttle approached the icy planet, Ora took in the sphere of blue and white, with several spots of red and black visible from their position. Jainen was an industrial planet, with harsh, icy, terrain. The droid factories that had been used during the Clone War were now used to manufacture material for the Empire's military, taking in ores and parts of the native wildlife and churning out blasters, armour, starship parts, and much more.

Upon setting foot on the planet, Ora realised that she was never told where she had to go. The pilot on her shuttle refused to answer her, then promptly left, leaving her alone with her belongings in the main spaceport of the capital city, Thas Vebrik.

Determined to not miss this opportunity of a lifetime, Ora set out to find the Imperial Base on the planet. Every Imperial world had one, where governors and other Imperial Staff were housed. Orders from Coruscant or other important worlds would be relieved there, though this was a rarity on Outer Rim worlds like Jainen.

As she wade through the densely populated capital, Ora kept her eyes peeled for the imposing dome that represented Imperial authority on so many worlds. Smoke from factories billowed into the sky, encasing the city in a black dome. These were what created the spots on the planet, factories in the cities excreting smoke and fire at such a pace it was visible from the atmosphere. The planet looked beautiful, such a shame that it had to be blemished in such a way. The needs of the Empire came above such sentimentality, however.

After what seemed like hours, Ora finally located the Imperial Base. This was odd, as such a large and domineering structure should've captivated the eye immediately. Maybe it was all the smoke, the sound, and the mass of humans, aliens, and droids disorienting her.

Ora approached an imperial officer who seemed to be some sort of receptionist.

"Yes?" He said, not peering up from his work on the desk.

"I'm a new Stormtrooper, I'm not sure where to go thou-" Ora started, but as soon as the officer heard the word 'Stormtrooper' he seemed to switch off. She tried again, but each time the officer seemed to deactivate at the mention of a stormtrooper. Eventually he just started ignoring everything she said.

After another hour of venturing the city, Ora decided to attempt to sneak into the barracks next to the Imperial Complex. There, she could look for answers. The thought of failure didn't sneak into her mind at all.

30 minutes later, as the foreign sun set over this new planet, Ora managed to find her way into the barracks. Oddly enough, the guards in that sector didn't seem to notice her.

As she crept around, she was startled by a new voice from the shadows.

"Ah, SL-469, so glad you could join us today. Make yourself at home, we are waiting for two other recruits to arrive," The Lieutenant said. "Congratulations on finding us, this is the level of resourcefulness we expect from Stormtroopers. Briefing is in the morning, don't be late."


	3. Chapter 3: Darth Vader

After days of searching, Vader was finally here. The Jedi who knew the location of his old master, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Darth Vader had spent a week searching for this rumoured Jedi, and this quest had brought him to the world of Ruoho.

The Dark Lord had found several tips in the capital city of Ruoho'Tar, and raced along to an 'abandoned' farm out in the grasslands between cities.

The farm itself was small, consisting of a small domed building and a few fields. A track for a hovertrain ran close to the farm. The Jedi was nowhere to be seen. However, Vader could sense their presence. The Jedi was hiding, attempting to ambush Vader. This would not work.

Pretending to be unaware of the Jedi, Vader suddenly lashed out with the Force, destroying the entrance to the measly homestead. His target came running out, determined to find the Dark Lord. Darth Vader recognised him. Korram Yeth, the padawan of a Jedi slain during Order 66. Anakin Skywalker had worked alongside them during the Clone War, evidently the padawan was able to escape to here.

Yeth was a human male, clad in tattered Jedi robes mixed with the bandage-like wrappings of other native farmers. The Jedi brandished two lightsabers, one green and one blue. The blue saber was his. The green was likely recovered from his master during Order 66.

"Vader!" The Padawan yelled. "5 years ago, your stormtroopers killed my master above Ord Radama. Now, I will kill you."

Unfazed by the threat, Vader asked, "Where is Kenobi?"

"Obi-Wan?" Korram Yeth said, "I don't know and I don't care. Why do you?"

"My matters do not concern you, boy. If you desire combat, let us duel." Vader answered.

And with that, Korram charged at Vader, lunging through the air. His lightsabers pressed against Vader's, leading into an endless stream of attacks that the dark lord blocked effortlessly, using one hand to parry each blow but never attacking himself.

"I sense the anger in you, the rage. Use it." Vader goaded.

Korram didn't respond, instead letting out a scream of effort as his lightsabers moved like lighting, each making an effort to even graze the black metal of the Sith Lord.

The towering cyborg showed no sign of weakness, as the Jedi began to falter from tiredness. Determined not to lose, he leapt back towards the busking, away from Vader. As the Sith positioned himself to pursue, he quickly turned around to block a strike from another Jedi. Dura Sekrif, another Jedi Padawan who was part of the order during the Clone War. Her master had been quite friendly. Vader couldn't quite remember his name. He'd died during the war, a few scant weeks before the execution of Order 66. He was lucky he didn't have to witness that.

Dura Sekrif wielded a double bladed green lightsaber, and has nearly decapitated Vader with it. She seemed skilled in the art of camouflage and stealth. No matter.

Darth Vader fared much better against her than Yeth, she was much less suited to direct combat. Yeth tried to save her, but Vader tosses him aside with the Force like an ant. He cut Sekrif's weapon in half, and raised his own to strike the Mirialan down. In a sudden flash of movement, Vader turned his lightsaber to slice a piece of debris in half.

It had been sent by a third Jedi, an old, withering, master. What little Vader could make out from under his hood pointed to the master being a human male, with a white beard. Before he could look for any more clues to his identity, Vader was set upon by a hail of debris. Vader brushed the pieces aside with the Force, but allowed Sekrif to escape with her lightsaber.

To end the conflict quicker, Vader used the Force to knock back all of the Jedi, demolishing the structure in the process. The 3 Jedi now stood before him, winded but determined.

The hooded Jedi launched sand and debris at Vader, faltering the dark lord's focus for a moment. The sand's coarseness and roughness was irritating as it seeped into his suit and touched his burnt flesh. Vader had forgotten sand's seemingly magical ability to get everywhere.

As the Sith glared at his enemy, he was beset by the two other Jedi, Yeth and Sekrif. The onslaught of the two Jedi, as well as the constant rock and sand hurled his way, caused Vader to kneel before the Jedi. They had struck his leg, he could not move it. He was tired, and injured in numerous other places. The dark lord had been defeated.

As Yeth's rage-filled eyes seemed poised to kill the Sith, the master warned him, "Do not kill, do not give in to your hate, your rage, your passion. 'There is no emotion, there is peace.' We have subdued him, that is enough."

The triumphant Padawan would not have it. "Shut up! You constantly go on and on about patience and mercy! Vader allowed all this to happen! The fall of the Jedi, the rise of the Empire, all of it!"

Before the master Jedi was able to respond, the igniting of Vader's crimson blade diverted their attention. He was holding it to the Mirialan's throat with one hand, ready to kill her at any moment.

"Your master was right, Jedi," Vader said, "A Jedi must always be patient and merciful. But now is not the time for patience or mercy. Now, you must choose."

As Vader said his last word, he formed a pincer with his left thumb and index finger. The Jedi master was lifted up into the air. His hood came off, so the Padawan could see the pain on his teacher's face.

"I sense your feelings, Padawan. Will you execute your love, or will you allow yet another master to die due to your actions? The choice is yours."

Korram Yeth stopped. His master had given his life to save him back over Ord Radama, would he kill another Jedi master?

But Dura wasn't a passive old crone. Dura didn't let the Jedi order be exterminated due to their arrogance. The clones turned on the Jedi because they regarded the soldiers as inferior. Those rumours about organic chips uncovered by a clone was nonsense. It was the Jedi, the Jedi who were too weak to prevent the Empire and it's tyranny from rising. It was the Jedis' fault that all of this happened. He and Dura could build a new order together. They could kill Vader, and then the Emperor. They would make this right.

"Save her!" Korram yelled. In response, Vader changed the position of his left fingers from a pincer into a fist. The throat of the old Jedi master was crushed. A red saber let Dura's head fall to the floor.

Barely registering that the Sith had gone back on his word and killed Sekrif, and how he was now standing with his full height despite being badly injured at the knee, Korram Yeth charged.

Vader noticed how the padawan's fighting style was similar to his own. No, to Anakin Skywalker's. The way this Jedi wielded his two lightsabers with such fury reminded him of how Anakin had duelled Count Dooku on Geonosis so many years ago. Back when he was young and whole, not forced to live in his black abomination of a suit, not after he had destroyed the Jedi. And for what? He had failed to save Padmé, he ended up killing her in the end. What a failure he had become-

Vader's thoughts were pulled to the present as the padawan unleashed a fresh barrage of attacks, bolstered by his hatred, his rage. Hatred of Vader for killing the only people he had left, hatred for making him into a fool. Vader knew once he pushed the Jedi past a certain point, there would be no going back.

"You could not save your masters, or your love. What else do you have. You are nothing, Jedi. Nothing but an arrogant and weak fool." Vader taunted successfully.

The Jedi noticed a passing hovertrain, and so used the Force to push Vader in its path. Being Darth Vader, he manoeuvred himself onto the roof of one of its cars. He then pulled the Jedi onto the vehicle, so they were gazing at each other across the chasm between two hovertrain cars. The backdrop of Ruoho's plains whizzed by.

As the duel progressed across the train, Vader cut the link to the car in front. Seemingly by accident. Then, he tricked the padawan into cutting the link to the car behind them. Their lightsabers deflected off of their arena of the hovertrain car, embedding deep scars into it.

As their stage approached Ruoho'Tar, the capital city of the planet, Vader used the force to minutely alter the path of the car. It careened into a pile of construction material, sending the car and the duellists flying. Aided by Vader's command of the Force, the hovertrain car crashed into the populated city, colliding into a building and emerging into a square on the other side.

The Jedi and the Sith emerged from the rubble, battered and bruised. Their battle commenced, twirling their sabers in a lighting quick dance of death. Fountains, shops, monuments, all were cut down to make room for this duel.

Yeth had had enough. With an almighty scream, Vader sensed him giving not his rage. His fear, his hatred, his anger. All of these burst forth in a torrent of steel, concrete, glass, and water as the Jedi Padawan hurled materials from the wreckage in a storm, with the demolished hovertrain car at its centre. They had looped around the city, with Vader subtly gathering wreckage in his wake.

The barrage took many lives, but Vader's was not one of them. The Sith merely shrugged off the damage that the yellow-eyed padawan had unleashed upon the civilian population of the city. Looking at the chaos he had caused, Korram Yeth's eyes returned to here normal brown. He collapsed to his knees. He held nothing but hatred in his heart. Hatred for Vader, for killing the Jedi and countless innocents. Hatred for the Order, for allowing such a tragedy to happen yet sitting idly by. Hatred for himself, for not stopping this mechanical monstrosity, this dark device of the Sith.

Korram Yeth spoke his last words in the remains of a square in Ruoho'Tar. But two lightsaber-wielding force sensitives left the planet.

Korram Yeth had indeed died in that duel with Vader. Now, the soul in his body was a new member of the Inquisitorius.


End file.
